Panel and beam roof assembly for building structure

ABSTRACT

A horizontal beam of inverted generally T-shpaed vertical cross section supports edge portions of generally horizontal roof panels on transversely oppositely depending base flanges of said beam with a beam central web portion projecting upwardly between said panel edge portions, preferably in the form of transversely spaced vertical webs. Water proof upper layers of shape selfsustaining material are portioned over the panel upper surfaces and have edge portions which project upwardly from the panel edge portions and terminate spaced upwardly from said panel edge portions. An inverted U-shaped cap is positioned over the beam webs and has downwardly projecting leg portions transversely outwardly of the edge portions of the panel upper layers, said leg portions terminating downwardly overlying said panel upper layers. Transversely spaced webs project downwardly from the cap internally thereof and hook engage the beam webs retaining the cap and beam in assembly, with angled guides preferably being formed on the cap for guiding the beam webs into such assembly. Thus, the upwardly projecting edge portions of the panel upper layers provide water barriers internally of the cap for preventing water from flowing transversely into the assembly and downwardly along the inner edges of the panels.

United States Patent [72] Inventor William C. Pierce Glendora, Calif.[21] Appl. No. 803,194 [22] Filed Feb. 28, 1969 [45] Patented Apr. 13,1971 [731 Assignees Joseph A. Garcia Encino, Calif. fractional partinterest to each; Roy C. Garcia Panama City, Panama, fractional partinterest to each Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 679,903,Nov. 1, 1967, now abandoned.

[54] PANEL AND BEAM ROOF ASSEMBLY FOR BUILDING STRUCTURE 2 Claims, 2Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 52/463, 52/468, 52/495 [51] Int. Cl E04d 3/366 [50] Field ofSearch 52/465, 468, 469, 466, 467, 501, 464, 463, 461, 495, 470, 471,472, 498, 273, 459, 460, 58

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,907,287 10/1959 Trostle52/461X 2,948,362 8/1960 Jones 52/464X Primary Examiner-John E. MurtaghAttorney-Mahoney, Hornbaker and Schick ABSTRACT: A horizontal beam ofinverted generally T- shpaed vertical cross section supports edgeportions of generally horizontal roof panels on transversely oppositelydepending base flanges of said beam with a beam central web portionprojecting upwardly between said panel edge portions, preferably in theform of transversely spaced vertical webs. Water proof upper layers ofshape self-sustaining material are portioned over the panel uppersurfaces and have edge portions which project upwardly from the paneledge portions and terminate spaced upwardly from said panel edgeportions. An inverted U-shaped cap is positioned over the beam webs andhas downwardly projecting leg portions transversely outwardly of theedge portions of the panel upper layers, said leg portions terminatingdownwardly overlying said panel upper layers. Transversely spaced websproject downwardly from the cap internally thereof and hook engage thebeam webs retaining the cap and beam in assembly, with angled guidespreferably being formed on the cap for guiding the beam webs into suchassembly. Thus, the upwardly projecting edge portions of the panel upperlayers provide water barriers internally of the cap for preventing waterfrom flowing transversely into the assembly and downwardly along theinner edges of the panels.

PANEL AND BEAM ROOF ASSEMBLY FOR BUILDING STRUCTURE C ROSS-REFERENCES TORELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation in part of mycopending application Ser. No. 679,903, filed Nov. I, I967, nowabandoned entitled, Improved Roof Assembly for Building Structure."

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a panel and beamroof assembly for a building structure, and more particularly to a roofassembly particularly adaptable to a building structure of the typehaving the sidewalls thereof formed of a series of wall panels and theroof thereof formed by a series of roof panels. Even more particularly,this invention relates to a panel and beam roof assembly of theforegoing general character wherein a particular formation of beam andcap support the roof panels in a unique manner while providingspecifically formed water barriers preventing water from flowingalongthe roof panels into the beam and cap assembly.

Recent trends in building structures and particularly those for use inthe more temperate climates where ice and snow are not a problem havebeen toward panel construction. In such construction, the structuresidewalls are formed of a series of assembled wall panels, and, in manycases, the roofs thereof are similarly formed of a series of roofpanels. Prior to the present invention, however, it has been necessaryto make use of conventional roofing materials over the roof panels inorder to provide the same with proper water proofing.

Thus, in the construction of these panel building structures, the usualpractice has been to first assemble the wall panels to provide thestructure walls, mount roof supporting beams on said walls and thenassemble the roof panels supported by the beams. Thereafter, commonroofing materials are applied over the roof panels to provide thenecessary water proofing of the same, with the cost of these addedroofing materials constituting a relatively high percentage of theoverall structure cost. Furthermore, in order to assure properapplication of the roofing materials over the roof panels, it has beennecessary to make use of experienced workmen having the appropriateskills and following the usual, relatively time consuming roofingprocedures.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of myinvention to provide a panel and beam roof assembly for a buildingstructure wherein the roof is formed of a series of assembled roofpanels having panel edge portions supported by a unique beam and capassembly permitting water proofing upper layers to be merely positionedover the roof panels while guarding against water running into the beamand cap assembly which could cause water leakage downwardly through theoverall roof assembly. According to the present invention, the waterproofing upper layers positioned over the roof panels are formed of ashape self-sustaining material so that edge portions thereof overlyingthe beam supported panel edge portions may be formed projecting upwardlyinto the cap of the beam and cap assembly terminating upwardly spacedabove the roof panels. Thus, the upwardly projecting edge portions ofthe water proofing layers within the beam and cap assembly form waterbarriers preventing water from flowing inwardly within said assembly anddownwardly of the roof panel edge portions, thereby effectively waterproofing the overall roof assembly without the requirement for usualroofing materials.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a panel and beam roofassembly for a building structure of the foregoing general characterwherein the roof may be relatively quickly and easily assembled with aminimum of labor and time required. The supporting beams are invertedT-shaped in cross section with lower flanges thereof receiving andsupporting the roof panel edge portions, followed by the water proofingupper layer application as hereinbefore discussed.

The final assembly operation is the mere positioning of the cap over theroof panel and beam subassembly, the cap telescoping over the waterbarrier forming edge portions of the water proofing upper layers so asto effectively complete a functionally sound andefficiently waterproofing overall roof assembly.

It is still a further object of my invention to provide a panel and beamroof assembly for a building structure having the foregoing advantageousfeatures of construction wherein special guides may be formed internallyof the cap for aiding in obtaining a proper and secure assembly betweenthe cap and beam. The beam preferably includes spaced webs projectingupwardly between the edge portions of the supported roof panels and intothe telescoping cap with said beam webs terminating upwardly in hookportions interengaging with similar hook portions of downwardlyextending cap webs. Angular guides are formed projecting downwardly fromthe cap spaced inwardly of the cap webs functionally operable to guidethe beam webs into proper interengagement with these cap webs, therebyinsuring proper final beam and cap assembly while maintaining properpositioning with the supported roof panels and the water proofing upperlayers thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing specification and the accompanying drawing which are for thepurpose of illustration only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an exploded, fragmentary,vertical sectional view of an embodiment of the panel and beam roofassembly of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view of the finally assemblypanel and beam roof assembly of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BEST EMBODIMENT CONTEMPLATED Referring to thedrawing, the embodiment of the panel and beam roof assembly for abuilding structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a beam, generallyindicated at 10, roof panels, generally indicated at I2, water prooflayers or sheets, generally indicated at 14, and a cap, generallyindicated at 16. The beam 10 and cap 16 are preferably formed of metal,such as aluminum extrusions, and the roof panels 12 may be formed of anyof a multiplicity of usual materials but for economy purposes, arepreferably of a composition material, such as comminuted organicmaterials retained together by a binder. The water proof layers l4likewise may be formed as sheets of a multiplicity of common water proofmaterials including metals or plastics, preferably from aluminum sheetsfor water and corrosion resistance, the important characteristics of thewater proof layers being that they will be not only water proofed, butshape self-sustaining so as to retain their shapes as formed forpurposes to be hereinafter discussed.

More particularly to the configuration of the beam 10, the beam extendslengthwise or longitudinally and is normally supported generallyhorizontally in the usual manner for supporting the overall roofassembly, that is, various portions thereof supported on the headers ofintersecting or outside walls or totally supported by the header of anunderlying wall, all within the knowledge of those skilled in the artand not illustrated herein. More important to the principles of thepresent invention, the beam 10 is inverted, generally T-shaped intransverse vertical cross section including oppositely transverselydepending, generally horizontal base flanges l8 and a central verticallyupwardly projecting web portion, generally indicated at 20, comprised oftransversely spaced, longitudinally and vertically upwardly projectingwebs 22. The webs 22 terminate upwardly in enlarged end portions 24forming transversely outwardly exposed hook portions 26, and the crosssections of the webs 22 are sufficiently thin to permit some transverseflexing of the webs during assembly of the beam 10 and the cap 16 aswill be hereinafter discussed.

The roof panels 12 are of usual form having generally parallel, upperand lower face surfaces 28 and 30, said panels being positionedextending generally horizontally depending transversely oppositely fromthe beam with edge portions 32 supported with the lower face surfaces onthe beam base flanges 18. Also, in such positioning, edge surfaces 34 atthe inner termination of the edge portions 32 are generally transverselyadjacent the beam web portion or the webs 22.

The water proof layers 14 are positioned over the upper face surfaces 28of the roof panels 12, preferably merely lying thereon, and said waterproof layers terminate transversely inwardly in upwardly projecting edgeportions 36 which, in turn, terminate upwardly spaced above the edgeportions 32 of the roof panels 12. As hereinbefore described, the roofpanels 12 are formed of a shape self-sustaining material so as to retainthe upward projection of the edge portions 36 in the final assembly.Thus, as shown in FIG. 2 and as will be hereinafter discussed, the waterproof layers 14 with their upwardly projecting edge portions 36 formwater barriers preventing the flow of water inwardly along the uppersurfaces of the water proof layers 14 and downwardly along the edgesurfaces 34 of the roof panels 12.

The cap 16 extends longitudinally along the beam 10 and is inverted,generally U-shaped in transverse vertical cross section havingtransversely spaced, downwardly projecting leg portions 38 connected bya longitudinally and transversely extending connecting portion 40. Thecap 16 in assembly as shown in FIG. 2, is telescoped downwardly over theupper end portions 24 of the beam webs 22 with the leg portions 38preferably closely overlying and preferably abutting the water prooflayers 14 directly over the upper face surfaces 28 of the roof panels12. During this telescoping, the upwardly projecting and water barrierforming edge portions 36 of the water proof layers 14 are received inchambers 42 of the cap 16 transversely inwardly adjacent the legportions 38 thereof as shown.

The cap 16 is also formed with transversely spaced, generally verticallydownwardly extending webs 44 transversely outwardly adjacent the upperend portions 24 of the beam web 22, that is, so positioned in theassembly as shown in FIG. 2. These cap webs 44 project downwardly fromthe cap connecting portion 40 and include transversely inwardly exposedhook portions 46 which interengage with the outwardly exposed hookportions 26 of the beam webs 22 during the assembly. Again, thecross-sectional thicknesses of the cap webs 44 are sufficiently thin sothat some transversely outward flexing can take place during theassembly of the cap 16 and beam 10 so that transverse flexing of eitheror both of the beam webs 22 and the cap webs 44 will accomplish thesecure interengagement for retaining the cap on the beam as shown.

Finally, guide webs or flanges 48 are formed on the cap 16 projectingdownwardly from the cap connecting portion 40 spaced transverselyinwardly a determined distance from the cap webs 44 and anglingtransversely inwardly in their downward projection. The guide webs 48being only a fraction of the downward projection of the cap webs 44serve as guides during the assembly of the beam 10 and the cap 16 toproperly direct the end portions 24 of the beam webs 22 into thedescribed interengagement with the cap webs 44. At the same time, theguide webs 48 and the proper interengagement between the beam webs 22and the cap webs 44 insures the proper reception of the upwardlyprojecting edge portions 36 on the water proof layers 14 within the capchambers 42.

According to the present invention, therefore, the cap 16, whichprojects totally above the roof panels 12 downwardly telescopes theupper end portions 24 of the beam central webs 22, which likewiseproject above the roof panels 12. During such telescoping of the cap 16,the cap angled guide webs 48 guide the hook portions 26 of the beam webs22 into secure interengagement with the cap webs 44, not only obtainingsecure assembled retainment of the cap 16 over the beam 10, but alsoinsuring proper alignment of the cap relative to the roof panels 12 andthe waterproof layers 14. With the cap 16 thusly properly aligned withhe beam 10 In the assemb y as portions 38 and downwardly through theassembly along the roof panel edge portions 32 and edge surfaces 34thereof.

With the virtually foolproof assembly of the beam 10, the roof panels12, the water proof layers 14 and the cap, 16 as described and shown, itis obvious that such assembly may be accomplished by workmen having onlyvery basic skills and the usual skilled workmen well trained in thevarious trades are not required. Furthermore, the final. roof assemblyis a secure and, equally important, a water proof assembly, the waterproofing being inherent in the unique water barrier formation of theupwardly projecting edge portions 36 on the water proof layers 14.

lclaim:

1. in a panel and beam roof assembly for a building structure, thecombination of: a generally horizontal bearn inverted generally T-shapedin vertical transverse cross section forming oppositely transverselydepending generally horizontal base flanges and a central vertical webportion; generally horizontally extending roof panels dependingtransversely oppositely from said beam having lower face surfacessupported on said beam base flanges and edge portions terminating inedge surfaces generally transversely adjacent said beam web portion;water proof upper layers over upper surfaces of said panels of shapeself-sustaining material having edge portions projecting upwardly fromsaid panel edge portions and terminating upwardly spaced upwardly fromsaid panel edge portions, said upwardly projecting edge portions of saidwater proof upper layers forming water barriers preventing water fromflowing transversely inwardly of said upper layers and downward of saidpanel edge surfaces; a cap overlying said beam inverted generallyU-shaped in vertical transverse cross section projecting upwardly fromsaid panels and upper layers telescoped over said upper layer edgeportions, said cap having downwardly projecting leg portions overlyingsaid panel upper layers transversely outwardly of said upper layer edgeportions and a connecting portion overlying said upward terminations ofsaid upper layer edge portions; said central vertical web portion ofsaid beam including transversely spaced, vertically elongated websprojecting upwardly into said cap; said cap having transversely spaced,vertically elongated webs extending downwardly from said cap connectingportion transversely inwardly of said upwardly projecting edge portionsof said panel upper layers; fastening means retaining said beam and capin assembly including interengaged hook portions between said beam andcap webs; and said cap including a downwardly projecting, transverselyinwardly angled guide web spaced transversely inwardly from each of saidcap webs positioned engageable by said beam webs during assembly of saidbeam and cap guiding said beam webs into said beam and cap guiding saidbeam webs into said interengagement with said cap webs.

2. A panel and beam roof assembly as defined in claim 1 in which saidpanels are formed of composition material; and in which said water proofupperlayers are formed of metal sheets.

1. In a panel and beam roof assembly for a building structure, thecombination of: a generally horizontal beam inverted generally T-shapedin vertical transverse cross section forming oppositely transverselydepending generally horizontal base flanges and a central vertical webportion; generally horizontally extending roof panels dependingtransversely oppositely from said beam having lower face surfacessupported on said beam base flanges and edge portions terminating inedge surfaces generally transversely adjacent said beam web portion;water proof upper layers over upper surfaces of said panels of shapeself-sustaining material having edge portions projecting upwardly fromsaid panel edge portions and terminating upwardly spaced upwardly fromsaid panel edge portions, said upwardly projecting edge portions of saidwater proof upper layers forming water barriers preventing water fromflowing transversely inwardly of said upper layers and downward of saidpanel edge surfaces; a cap overlying said beam inverted generallyU-shaped in vertical transverse cross section projecting upwardly fromsaid panels and upper layers telescoped over said upper layer edgeportions, said cap having downwardly projecting leg portions overlyingsaid panel upper layers transversely outwardly of said upper layer edgeportions and a connecting portion overlying said upward terminations ofsaid upper layer edge portions; said central vertical web portion ofsaid beam including transversely spaced, vertically elongated websprojecting upwardly into said cap; said cap having transversely spaced,vertically elongated webs extending downwardly from said cap connectingportion transversely inwardly of said upwardly projecting edge portionsof said panel upper layers; fastening means retaining said beam and capin assembly including interengaged hook portions between said beam andcap webs; and said cap including a downwardly projecting, transverselyinwardly angled guide web spaced transversely inwardly from each of saidcap webs positioned engageable by said beam webs during assembly of saidbeam and cap guiding said beam webs into said beam and cap guiding saidbeam webs into said interengagement with said cap webs.
 2. A panel andbeam roof assembly as defined in claim 1 in which said panels are formedof composition material; and in which said water proof upper layers areformed of metal sheets.